Electrically-operated indicator.



No. 828,570. PATENTED AUG. 14;, 1906. MG. REGAN. ELEGTRIOALLY OPERATED INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1906.

7a a Z u M m w v fl fl Til? PATENTED AUG. 14, '1906.

M. c. REGANr BLEGTRIOALLY OPERATED INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1906 ,W, 11 I N! 0' 1 UNIT T. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELEQTRlCALLY-OPERATED INDICATOR- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14,

Application filed January 12.1906. Serial No. 295,813.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MICHAEL O. REGAN, electrician and sergeant of the united States Army, stationed at Fort Totten, in the State of New York, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Operated Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art'to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for registering the .movements of bodies, fluid or otherwise, at a point or points distant from the moving body being registered; and to this end the invention consists of means operated by the moving body 1 and forming a contact for making and breakdiagrammatically arran Fig. 1, the

ing an electric circuit controlling an electromechanical registering apparatus. i

While the invention mi ht be utilized with various kinds of movingi of which it is desired to register, still it is more particularly designed for use as a tideindicator or as means for registering the rise and fall of 'fluid in a tank-or reservoir. For the purpose of disclosure, however; and for convenience of illustration, in the accompanying' drawings I have shown the invention associated with a tank or reservoir dis-- closing a practical embodiment of the invention and its a plication, the particular features of noveity being pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawin s, Figure 1 is a e view, showing the electrical connection etween the indicating ap aratus and the distant tank or reservoir, t indicating apparatus being shown in rear elevation. Fig. 2 is a tudinal sectional view through the ind-icatin apparatus of the casing, the indicating-dia being shown in section, but the rest of the apparatus being shown in end elevationwith the electromagnets omitted. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the indicating apparatus. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4 of contacting shoe, however, being shown in side elevation. Fig. 5 is a detail view, in side elevation, of the contact-shoe and showing its association with the contact members. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the contact-shoe and its sliding support. Fig. 7

odies the position transverse long1- i is a plan view of same, and Fig. 8 is a detail fragmentary view of the armature and its cooperating electromagnets.

1 is a tank or reservoir provided with the exterior longitudinally-disposed parallel guide-rods 2 and 2, and a plurality of contact lmembers 3 extending along said tankbetween said guide-rods and connected together by the grounding-wire 4. i

5 .is a cableoperati'v 1y connected at one endlwith a contact-shoe, hereinafter referred to, thence passing over suitablyjournaled sheaves or pulleys 6 and connected at its other end with a float 7, adapted to be operated by the rise and fall of liquid in the tank.v

. 7 and the coils of 8 8 are electromagnets forming a part of the indicating apparatus, these respective magnets at one end are connected, by means of the line-wires 9 9, with the guide-rods 2 and 2, while the other ends of the coils are connected by the wire 10 and its branches 10 and 10 with a battery 11, grounded, as at 12.

Referring to the contact-shoe previously mentioned, this consists of the metallic members 13 13, insulated from each other by the central member 14, to which-they are dovetailed or otherwise suitably connected. These metallic members are apertured', as at 13', to slidingly engage the rods 2 2 and be guided thereby. The central member 14is rovided with a hook 14 for suspending t e same from one end of the cable 5.

15 designates end to the insulating member 14 and at its the contacting faces ated from each other lates 16 16, ormin or the shoe and insu and from said spring-arm 15 lation 16 17 17 designate wires connecting the respective upper and lower contact-plates 16 16 with the metallic sections 13 13.

Referring to Figs. 1 to casing for the indicator, in which is located an oscillating rod 19, one end of which carries an armature 19, disposed in the field of the electromagnets 8 and 8", heretofore mentioned. This rod 19 is pivotally su ported by pin 2O on the bracket 20, secure to the casin andjthe lower end of the rod is dispose in engagement with any suitable spring tending to return the rod to its normal vertical position.

a resilient arm secured at one other'end carr 'ng the metallic contacting by suitable insu- 3, 18 designates a i In the drawings the spring is represented at 21 as comprising a base member split or forked to form the resilient sprin -arms 22, between which the end of the r 19 is disposed. The integral end of the spring is adjustably secured within the supporting-post 23 by the setscrew 24.

25 is a pin carried by the rod 19 and forming an axis for the pawl members 26 26, pivotally secured thereto, 27 designating springs controlling said pawl members. These pawl members are adapted to ride on pins 28 28, moiinted on the casing.

29 is a ratchet-wheel, operatively associated with said pawls, journaled on the spindle 30, the outer end of which carries a pointer 31 for the indicating-dial, '32 32 indicating supports. for said dial.

33 desi ates a pair of springs engaging the teeth of t e ratchet-wheel on op osite sides thereof for preventing rotation 0 said wheel except upon actuation of the armature and rod;

So far has been described a construction whereby the indicating means employs a dial and pointer at a specific point. It may be desirable, however, to give the same readings on a straight scale, suchscale being either lo cated on the casing or in another part of a H building. For the purpose of illustration, however, it is shown on the casing, being designated at 34 and cooperating with .a pointer 35, carried by a cable 3.6, one end of which reeves around. a spool 37, carried by the spindle 30, any suitable weighting means for said cable 36. being provided and also any suitable guiding means for said pointer 35.

In operation, assuming that the level of fluid in the tank has fallen, the shoe will have correspondingly been elevated, and (referring to Figs. 1 and 4 to 7 it will be seen that the content-plate 16 will have engaged a contact member 3, closing the circuit of the electromagnet 8 through the. grounded wire 4, contact-plate 16., wire 17, metallic member 13,

'uide-rod 2, line-wire 9,wire 10, and branch 0, battery 11, and grounded wire 12.

The electromagnet 8 being excited, the armature 19 is attracted thereto, rotating the. ratchet-wheel 29 one notch in the direction of the arrow through the awl 26, the pawl 26?, riding on the pin 28, iieing elevated out of contact with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel so that 'when' the armature is released the pawl 26, returning to its initial position, will not tend to rotate the ratchet-wheel in the opposite direction. Vice versa, if the fluid rises in the tank the magnet 8 will be excited in the same manner through its electrical connections, and the armature being attracted to the right, Fig. 1, will operate the ratchet-wheel 29 by the (pawl 26 in a reverse direction, the pawl 26 ri mg on the in 28 in the same fashion sis-heretofore descri ed with reference to the pin 28'. The spring-arms. 22

will tend to center the armature-rod and hold the pawls in normal position relative to the ratchet-wheel.

Hav ng thus described the invention and one of its methods of application, what I claim is 1. In an electrical indicator, the combination with a shoe and means for operating same by the motion of the moving body being registered, of a plurality of contacts disposed in the path of travel of said shoe, a resilient connecting member attached to said shoe, said shoe comprising a pair of contactplates insulated from each other and from said connecting member, an indicator, electromagnets cooperating with said indicator to move same in reverse directions, and electric-circuit wires interposed between the corelated contact-plates of said shoe and said electromagnets, substantially as described.

2. In an electrical indicator, the combination with a shoe, of a plurality of contacts disposed in the path of travel of said shoe, a

air of vertical, parallel bars. arranged in ont and one oneither side of said contacts, a. plate embracing said bars and adapted to slide up and down thereon, said plates having a central portion of insulating materiah'a resilient member embedded in said insulating material and connecting said shoe with said plate and means whereby the shoe may be rought into and out of engagement with the contacts by the movement of the body to be registered, substantially as described.

3. In an electrical indicator, the combination with a shoe and means for operating same by the motion of the moving body heregistered, of a lurality of contacts dis posed in the path of travel of said shoe, said shoe comprising a pair of contact-plates insulated from each other; an indicator, electromagnets cooperating with said indicator to move same in reverse directions, and electriccircuit wires. interposed between the corelated contact-plates of said shoe and said electromagnets, substantially as described.

4. In an electrical indicator, the combination with a pointer and indicator-scale, of a ratchet-wheel connected with said pointer, an oscillating armature-rod adjacent said ratchet-wheel, a pair of pivoted pawls on said armature-rod cooperating with said ratchetwheel, fixed pins engagin said pawls on their underneath faces to e evate said pawls from said ratchet-wheel upon the oscillation of said armature-rod in one direction beyond the normal, diverging sprin arms tensioned to. force said rod to its norma position, spring arms arranged one on either side oi said ratchet-wheel and engaging the teeth of said wheel to prevent its accidental dis lacement, a pair of electromagnets arranged on site sides of said armature-rod, and electrical connections for exciting said magnets from a distant point, substantially as described.

sesmo 5. In an electrical indicaton-the combina- Iisn. with a pointer and indicating-scale, of a ratchet-wheel connected with said pointer, an oscillatin armature-rod adjacent said ratchet-whee a pair of pivoted pawls on said armature-rod cooperating with said ratchetwheel, fixed pins engagin said pawls on their underneath faces to e evate said pawls from sa d ratchet-wheel upon the oscillation of said armature-rod in one direction beyond the normal, a spring member cooperating with said armature-rod tensioned to force said rod to its normal position, a paif of electromagnets arranged on opposite sides of said armature-rod, and electrical connections for I 5 exciting said ma nets from a distant'point, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MICHAEL C. REGAN.

Witnesses BARNAB'Y B. Downs, CHARLES E. THAYER. 

